I was going to cover my dashboard with Fefe Dobson. But then I changed the plan. I decided to rant a little. But my rant was starting to get crazy so I changed the plan again. It started when I saw quite a few posts about how no one could think of a woman of color singing rock & roll. The voice in my head immediately sounded like Alex Trebek;

Question: American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in rock earned her the title The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Answer: WHO IS TINA TURNER?

Now instead of the rant about how rock music started in the black community, and how it makes me sad that people think that rock music ‘belongs’ to whites, I’m just gonna throw you some names other than Fefe that rock.

Grace Jones-Grace, Grace, Grace, where do I start? Singer, model actress, complete icon. Some people might not consider her a rock musician, but if she ain’t a rocker, I don’t know who is. Listen to: Private Life and Corporate Cannibal.

Jada Pinkett Smith- She fronts a metal band called Wicked Wisdom. She growls out like the best of ’em, and while she’s not a perfect singer, it’s like Iced-T once said, “Who can sing in rock ‘n’ roll?“ Listen to: Bleed All Over Me and Forgiven

Felony Melody- Fronts the band Objex. You should see her mohawk, and her voice is powerful and punk. She melts me. Listen to: Eat This

Santi White AKA Santogold- The girl is pure rock in my opinion, but with her band Stiffed, she’s seen in the traditional rock band. Listen to: Hold Tight

Shingai Shoniwa- Fronts the Noisettes. If Iggy Pop and Billie Holiday had a baby, it’d be Shingai. There are no words that can express my love. Listen to: EVERYTHING! Lol, but go ahead and start with Sister Rosetta, Don’t Upset The Rhythm, and their cover of When You Were Young

Danielia Cotton- A fucking beautiful voice. If you like classic rock, you’ll like Danielia. She’s opened for B.B. King and Lynyrd Skynyrd, how awesome is that? Listen to: Let It Ride, Make U Move, and Running

Sophia Ramos- Where do I start? She is a true rock goddess, I don’t want to give another baby analogy, but if Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin had a baby = Sophia. She’s got an emotional, soulful, take no prisoners voice. Amaaazzzzinnng. Listen to: Torn Down, Freedom is Over, and Shining Still

Janelle Monáe- I consider her a rocker. I think she is progressive and psychedelic. Dude, she’s singing about a girl named Blueberry Mary, fairy gods, the words of Dhammapada, and coming alive like a schizo running wild, all while telling the story of an android in love with a human. Dude, it’s a fucking rock opera. She’s rock & roll. Listen to: Come Alive, Cold War, and Sir Greendown.

I think I reblogged this before, but it seems to have grown more awesome-r so reblogging again. Will tag later.

“It’s really difficult even though we were at the forefront of that genre”

Danielia Cotton’s smoldering semi-rasped vocals have been inevitably compared to Etta James and Tina Turner. But those comparisons only tell half the story of the rocker from New Jersey whose grasp of the guitar puts her in a rare lineage of women like Rosetta Tharpe, Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge, Tracy Chapman and most recently Valerie June. Cotton’s raw honesty meets at the intersection of soul and rock and tells the story of a multi-ethnic Black woman claiming her space in a genre white washed by industry politics. Growing up in a musical family as one of a few African-Americans in a small town influenced her candor about identity and drove the need to express those frustrations in her art. As a powerful performer and songwriter she has received acclaim from the mainstream press and blogosphere for her stage shows and made songs like “Strange Fruit” her own. She is currently preparing for the release of her 4th studio album, The Real Book, which is a selection of cover songs she possesses with the intimacies of her inner world. Cotton recently spoke with Kickmag about The Real Book, growing up in Hopewell, New Jersey and the plight of being a Black woman rocker in a not so post-racial America.

You have a bluesy rock sound how did you come to that?

My father played guitar and he gave one to me and it really stopped me from being a depressed child. Blues is the base of a lot of music, for rock, country and R&B. I think everybody pulls from that storytelling thing that I think every genre has some. And growing up in a small white town those kids were not listening to Stevie Wonder. There probably weresome but not the ones I was hanging out with. My older brother was very much into rock, he would play like Todd Rundgren, Yes and Zeppelin. Our rooms were next door to each other and I could hear everything.

You call your new album of covers, The Real Book, is that a take on the Fake Book that jazz musicians use to learn jazz?

Yes it is! We’re doing covers that we chose very carefully because I would only chose stories that I could live in it was a process just to pick the right tunes. Kevin came up with that because we really did pick them and make them our own like some of the guys never heard the cover we did of Bruno Mars’ “Gorilla.” A lot of my guys don’t listen to the radio and they thought the song was mine and I was like no, it’s a cover. And it has the cover design, which is really beautiful done by David Calderley who did the famous Moby album with the big A thing on it. It almost looks like a jazz cover album the cover has the feel of an old jazz album. It’s a nice deviation from what I was doing it’s a very adult album for me.

I’ve looked at your tracklisting for The Real Book and you did listen to Stevie Wonder after all.

My mom had Songs In The Key Of Life in her house and his rendition at Michael Jackson’s funeral is like we’re all leaving. I was little scared of that one but you know but you gotta go for it sometimes.

What about Citizen Cope’s “Sideways?”

The whole idea of lamenting over someone to the point that you just don’t want to feel what you feel that sentiment just spoke to me. I’m a Libra and I’m like a heavyhearted lover and whenever something ends with me it’s always dramatic.

Who are the guitar players you have looked up to?

As a female, Bonnie Raitt if I could play like that I would just be done. The play the she plays the slide is the way that I would like to. As far as guitarists, Jimmy Page is ridiculous. Modern day I like Jack White, even AC/DC, Angus is crazy and then he’s jumping around laying on the floor. There is beautiful guitar work on The Fuse album I never thought about a blues guitarist but I was out with Robert Cray for a number of dates and also Buddy Guy and they were both extraordinary. And I did a

What’s it been like being a Black woman rocker? What are some of the challenges that have come with that?

Record companies just never knew what to do, they were just like this doesn’t work and the only person they consider like a Black rocker is Tina Turner and they were like that was a long time ago. It’s like nobody’s broken through since then and they just don’t want to try it’s just too difficult. And I’m Black and half-Latino which even makes them more confused and if I really spelled it out for them that my mom is Black, white and American Indian and my dad is Puerto-Rican and Spanish I think they would just walk away. But that’s America right now, that’s what it is. And I think too, that some of my albums have been eclectic but rock is just rock and whatever song you do that’s my opinion and my definition of it. It’s really difficult even though we were at the forefront of that genre and I dare some of the people who say things to come to my concert and see my audience because they get it. It’s not something that I’m putting on to be different and step to the left it’s my life, I grew-up the way that I did and it’s made me who I am. My character in those formative years that’s where I was so it’s difficult. I just do it and hope that people will get it.

Is there any one song from The Real Book collection that has the most personal meaning for you?

I like the Bill Withers song and I said to the producer as we were recording it he says “I hope she’ll be happier with him” and I said “Hope you’ll be happier with him.” That really spoke to me, and the Stevie Wonder song is for me personally because like “They won’t go when I go, the greed of man will be far away from me, my soul will be free” it’s like you know what? You can step on me, run me over but I’m still standing and I’ll be here and they won’t go when I go I’m me and I’m holding on to the truest part of myself.

Who do you want to work with?

Prince. I actually like Jack White I think he’s pretty creative and I think actually when I realized that Jimmy Page had produced a lot of Zeppelin stuff I would love to be produced by him. I’m sure he’s still great if not greater. Bonnie Raitt. Right now when I run, I run everyday I listen to there’s this Stevie Wonder song called “Hold On To Your Dreams” and it’s so uplifting and right now my life it makes you run faster. It’s a beautiful song, so uplifting. I like David Ryan Harris I would love to work with him, I listen to “Got Your Back” all the time. A lot of people, I like Ben Harper.

When does The Real Book officially come out?

We will drop the album officially on October 21 and we will do a soft release on August 19 to sort of premiere the music.

It’s been four years since singer-songwriter Danielia Cotton last released an album, and one can say that her life has changed in every sort of way since then. There’s been a painful miscarriage and a battle with thyroid cancer that thankfully didn’t end Danielia’s life. These are events that have their way of unsettling even the strongest people, but Danielia found her balance in her music, and the result is her third LP: The Gun In Your Hand, set to be independently released on October 30th.

The album is a collection of the blues-y folk tunes Danielia is known for with a good dose of hard-rocking songs thrown in for good measure. “Lighthouse Keeper”, the album’s first single, is a perfect example of all these sounds rolled into one. Black Women In Rock was fortunate enough to get an email interview with Danielia to get a personal take on what it’s like to be a Black woman trying to make it in within the rock world.

How do you deal with being seen as a novelty as far as being a Black woman within a rock scene? I have never felt like that was the case, as blacks were so instrumental in the birth of rock and roll and blues. Unfortunately, we have yet to penetrate the genre to the point where a black musician playing rock is not seen as somewhat of a novelty I continue to do what I do and hope that it influences more black women and men to be a part of the rock scene.

How has breaking into the rock scene been for you? It was a little hard at first for people (record executives) to take me serious but after seeing me perform the music live, I think they quickly realized it wasn’t contrived but more a real passion and a part of who I am.

What advice do you have for other women trying to make it within the rock scene? Sling it just like a man and don’t fall into any of the rock cliches. Just be true to the music and the rest will figure itself out.

I was going to cover my dashboard with Fefe Dobson. But then I changed the plan. I decided to rant a little. But my rant was starting to get crazy so I changed the plan again. It started when I saw quite a few posts about how no one could think of a woman of color singing rock & roll. The voice in my head immediately sounded like Alex Trebek;

Question: American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in rock earned her the title The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Answer: WHO IS TINA TURNER?

Now instead of the rant about how rock music started in the black community, and how it makes me sad that people think that rock music ‘belongs’ to whites, I’m just gonna throw you some names other than Fefe that rock.

Grace Jones-Grace, Grace, Grace, where do I start? Singer, model actress, complete icon. Some people might not consider her a rock musician, but if she ain’t a rocker, I don’t know who is. Listen to: Private Life and Corporate Cannibal.

Jada Pinkett Smith- She fronts a metal band called Wicked Wisdom. She growls out like the best of ‘em, and while she’s not a perfect singer, it’s like Iced-T once said, “Who can sing in rock ‘n’ roll?” Listen to: Bleed All Over Me and Forgiven

Felony Melody- Fronts the band Objex. You should see her mohawk, and her voice is powerful and punk. She melts me. Listen to: Eat This

Santi White AKA Santogold- The girl is pure rock in my opinion, but with her band Stiffed, she’s seen in the traditional rock band. Listen to: Hold Tight

Shingai Shoniwa- Fronts the Noisettes. If Iggy Pop and Billie Holiday had a baby, it’d be Shingai. There are no words that can express my love. Listen to: EVERYTHING! Lol, but go ahead and start with Sister Rosetta, Don’t Upset The Rhythm, and their cover of When You Were Young

Danielia Cotton- A fucking beautiful voice. If you like classic rock, you’ll like Danielia. She’s opened for B.B. King and Lynyrd Skynyrd, how awesome is that? Listen to: Let It Ride, Make U Move, and Running

Sophia Ramos- Where do I start? She is a true rock goddess, I don’t want to give another baby analogy, but if Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin had a baby = Sophia. She’s got an emotional, soulful, take no prisoners voice. Amaaazzzzinnng. Listen to: Torn Down, Freedom is Over, and Shining Still

Janelle Monáe- I consider her a rocker. I think she is progressive and psychedelic. Dude, she’s singing about a girl named Blueberry Mary, fairy gods, the words of Dhammapada, and coming alive like a schizo running wild, all while telling the story of an android in love with a human. Dude, it’s a fucking rock opera. She’s rock & roll. Listen to: Come Alive, Cold War, and Sir Greendown.